Sylvain Chavanel won a final sprint to take the third stage of the Paris-Nice on Tuesday and snatch the yellow jersey.
The French rider came from behind to beat Juan Antonio Flecha of Spain in the last meters, completing the 178km stage in 4 hours, 33 minutes, 12 seconds.
Alberto Contador finished in the pack, 1 minute, 9 seconds behind Chavanel to lose the overall lead.
PHOTO: AFP
“Chavanel has now a 1 minute [lead], [Juan Manuel] Garate 30 seconds,” Contador told the Astana team’s Web site. “It can be complicated, but we still have five difficult days to go. It could have been worse.”
Maciej Bodnar of Poland broke away after 15km, followed by Jurgen Roelandts of Belgium, Tom Veelers of the Netherlands and Frenchmen Christophe Le Mevel and Stephane Auge.
The small group built a lead of 6 minutes, 55 seconds at the 62km mark.
PHOTO: AFP
But the Rabobank team produced a sudden acceleration after completing the last climb of the day up the Col de la Bosse to reel in the group 31km from the finish and toughen the race.
“I was not feeling great in the beginning of the stage. I was really cold,” Chavanel told the event’s Web site. “But when Rabobank made their move, I was on my guard and we managed to collaborate.”
Contador was caught by surprise by the Rabobank move and had to ride hard not to lose too much time.
“When the sprinters’ teams started to work, we lost a bit of concentration,” Contador said. The in-form Spaniard, who won the Tour of Algarve last month, is expected to recapture the yellow jersey in the last four stages that feature category 1 climbs.
“We’ll see what happens in the Montagne de Lure,” Chavanel said. “It will be the key moment.”
The French rider was referring to the uphill finish tomorrow, which is the toughest peak of the race and is nicknamed “the little sister of Mont Ventoux.”
Mont Ventoux is a notoriously tough climb on the Tour de France.
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